The Price of Candy (26 page)

“Was there a gun in her shoulder bag?”

“No gun. She had a roll of money wrapped with
a rubber band, eight thousand dollars mostly fifties. That’s what
she was protecting all along.”

“You could’ve located the mother and given
her the money.”

“I did. You think I’d steal it? The address
was on a letter in the handbag. She’d told me her mother was
hurting for money. I had the money delivered to her mother
anonymously and I added some. Not the personal items that would be
too risky.”

“So the mother still doesn’t know her
daughter is dead. That’s terrible, Freddy. Again you took the easy
way out.”

“I know and I’m so sorry. After all, I was
hiding. Later I burned everything else. I couldn’t sleep with her
stuff in my house. It was as if she was there.”

“You should have told the mother. She
deserves to know. Right now, we are the only two people in the
world who know the identity of that dead woman. I’m sorry, but I’m
going to locate the mother and tell her. What’s her name?”

“Marlene Hodges. I have her address. Betty Jo
still used Hodges as well. And when you see Mrs. Hodges, you’ll
tell her about the necrophile? And how her daughter’s abused body
laid on the beach like debris from an offshore wreck until the next
day? And later on a slab at the morgue tagged Jane Doe? You see the
problem?”

“Christ, I don’t know. Yes, I suppose I
should tell her about the abuse. She fought back the urge to take
him by the lapels and shake him, but she wanted him to turn himself
in so Betty Jo would be identified officially. So she could rest in
peace and the Privado Beach mystery be resolved.

“You’re angry with me.”

“And horrified you didn’t stay and protect
her body regardless of the cost to you. Shame on you. That was
really shitty, there’s no other word.”

“I wish I could do it over.”

“That’s not good enough.” She poured the last
of the cold coffee into her cup.

“Isn’t it strange that we’ve become connected
by all this? Though we’ll now go our separate ways, you’re the only
person who can appreciate the entire affair.”

“We’re not connected and stop begging for my
forgiveness.”

He turned to face her. “Maybe with
time....”

“You’re never going to get it.”

He pointed to the empty silver coffee
pitcher. “Would you like something stronger? Mrs. Wolfe makes a
dynamite Bloody Mary.” He reached over and buzzed his
secretary.

She nodded “Sounds good. After that story,
some form of medication is exactly what I need.”

She got up slowly from her chair, walked
over, and looked out at the peaceful panorama that was his
backyard. Flourishing greenery surrounded everything in view. Green
beyond green. Half way down the gentle slope of lawn, an old man in
gray coveralls wearing a wide brimmed straw hat attended to the
hibiscus that lined the stone walkway leading to the boat dock. No
question Freddy enjoyed a lush lifestyle.

She wondered if he would lose all this when
the Privado affair became public? Likely not, he came from a
moneyed family. The rules are different if you have money. But can
it buy forgiveness? Would his constituents forgive him? That was a
different question. It seemed to Sandy that a politician on a beach
with a naked dead girl was a dead politician. Yet, other
politicians had done worse, even been convicted of their
transgressions, and somehow resurrected a public career. Frederick
Kidde didn’t appear to have that spark within him.”

She turned back from the charming vista to
look at him. He stood with his head down as though he had just
confessed his guilt before a judge and was awaiting his sentence.
“Does your wife know any of what you just told me?”

His head snapped up. “Oh god, none of it.” He
ran his fingers through his hair. “She wouldn’t believe it of me
anyway. She thinks I’m a bit uptight when it comes to sexual
matters.”

“Imagine that.”

The office door opened abruptly. They sat in
awkward silence while Mrs. Wolfe brought in the drinks. Sandy
smiled politely. She was certain the secretary had overheard that
last comment. She must be questioning their relationship, and
wondering what sexual subject could keep the conservative
congressman engaged for hours with this young woman.

She stared at Sandy then at him. “You know,
Mr. Kidde, you’ve a stack of important messages waiting.” He nodded
sheepishly in reply. She shook her head and closed the door behind
her.

They looked at each other, listening to the
retreating footsteps of Mrs. Wolfe on the hardwood floor. Then in a
lower voice he said, “I’ve been living with this nightmare for
months now.” He took a sip of his Bloody Mary. “Did you follow the
story in the papers? She was nude when they found her.”

“No bikini,” Sandy added. “I wasn’t down here
then, but I went back and read it all.”

“That’s right. Both the top and bottom parts
were gone. Of course, the newspaper sensationalized her being found
naked. Plus her being shaved...down there...really made a
titillating story.”

“I brought the police report. They aren’t
looking for you. You could have come forward at any time.”

“May I see that report?” He found his
glasses, flipped through the report, and then started over and read
carefully. Only three pages, but fifteen minutes later he was still
studying it. He put it down. “No mention of DNA in here.”

“No DNA was found.”

He frowned. “Must be a mistake. DNA must have
been found.”

“No, I confirmed that fact with my police
friend. Apparently, the tide touched the body enough that she
received the equivalent of a saltwater douche. The semen traces
were also unusable.”

“I guess I just assumed they found Toby’s
DNA. The way he stared down at her like a cannibal.” He handed the
report back. “I was thinking Toby, but someone else might have
passed by. Paper said it was a hangout for kids. I hope a bunch of
teens didn’t get to her. Possibly some cop stumbled across her
while checking the beach for teenage drinkers, or turtle egg
poachers and he couldn’t resist.”

She was tired of him, wanted him out of her
sight. Was there anything left? “Let’s do this, Freddy. I know the
police up there in Park Beach. I’ll arrange a meeting with
Detective Chip Goddard. He trusts me, I practically live with him.
The media won’t know a thing about it.”

“They will eventually. Damn it all, I’m a
Congressman.”

“Being in the public eye is your problem all
right. If you were Joe Blow, you’d just turn you self in, be
scolded by the police and be done with it. Now, the only solution
is for you to preempt Abby by going to the police first. You will
then have come forward innocently. They’re already investigating
Abby for blackmail because they found the money. She’s not going to
keep you out of it.”

“I’m not walking into a police station
without an attorney.”

“Fine. Get your attorney. Just get in there
first. Get your associates together and start planning damage
control. Then when Abby rings the bell on you, it’ll be old news by
the time reelection comes around. Politicians have done a hell of a
lot worse and survived. You meant her no harm, even tried to save
her life. It’s understandable and very human why you didn’t come
forward the next morning. You thought the police were on the way
and thought you had left her in responsible hands.” She bit her
tongue, he didn’t deserve her kind, non-judgmental words, but she
wanted him to come forward.

“It almost sounds okay, the way you say it.
What if they try and accuse me a something besides simply
leaving?”

That gave her pause. “What else is there?” As
soon as she said it, she thought of the unsolved shooting of Toby.
She approached the subject obliquely. “Toby being murdered
certainly helped your situation, didn’t it?”

“No, it hurts me. It makes the entire
situation more serious, more dramatic.” He studied her face.
“Surely, you’re not back to thinking I shot him?”

“You or one of your minions.”

“But he was shot after Abby contacted me. If
I shot him, I’d still have to worry about her blackmailing me.”

Another thought occurred to her. “Perhaps you
didn’t shoot him to stop the blackmail. Perhaps you shot him
because he was the only living soul who could connect you to
Privado Beach.”

“In that case I’ll have to get rid of you
now, won’t I? You now know the story.”

“I’ve no proof. You could simply deny it.
Okay, if you’re not connected to the Toby murder, then there’s no
reason not to go to the police. You’ve nothing to worry about. The
police have no idea how she ended up on the beach and Toby can’t
talk. You can tell them whatever you want about the trip and all
that.”

“I appreciate you’re trying to help, but you
don’t realize how politics works. If this gets out, regardless of
how I spin it, I’ll not be reelected. Sorry, I’m not turning myself
in. If you go to the police, I’ll deny we ever talked.”

“But that wasn’t the deal. You said you’d
come forward and I said I’d help you. I already have by getting you
the police report and suggesting how you can handle this. And
here’s some more help. Do you know State Attorney Lawrence
Moran?”

“Casually. I met him at the Governor’s
Inaugural Ball.”

“So, you’re both in the same party. Good. Did
you know Moran wants to run for U.S. Senator? Does that bother
you?”

He shook his head. “I’m not interested in the
Senate. My House seat is safe. I can be a congressman for life if I
can get this behind me. I see what you’re getting at, but I’m not
going to call Moran and ask him to get me out of this and in
return, I’ll help him in his campaign. That’s an ethical violation
for both of us.”

“That’s not what I’m thinking. Let me set up
a confidential meeting with the police. Of course, they’ll
immediately advise State Attorney Moran. He’s not going to
prosecute a failure to report violation with flimsy supporting
evidence. He’ll drop everything immediately. He’s not going to mess
with you. He wants your eventual support. You still have time. Abby
might not even realize we’re on to the blackmail scheme. Please,
Freddy, get your name into this voluntarily before Abby gives the
police her version.”

“If she mentions my name, she’s admitting to
blackmail. She won’t do that.”

“Her ex-husband followed her here. They’ll
trace the money.”

“I’ll deny I ever set eyes on Abby, and Toby
won’t be telling anyone anything. Therefore, I’m not connected to
any blackmail plot. If I deny everything, it won’t be worthwhile to
pursue her for blackmail without my testimony. Easier to get her
for murder. Also, I don’t want Moran to have this over me.” He
stopped long enough to drain his Bloody Mary. “I’ve changed my
mind. Now that I’ve read the police report, I can see they’ve
nothing that links me to this. I’ll go on my merry way.”

“It won’t work. The media will be involved at
some point and they could care less what you deny or whether the
charges are true. You can’t keep yourself out of this.”

“Is that a threat? You said you wouldn’t
tell.”

“Wait a minute. I was onto the blackmail
scheme when I walked in here. I won’t promise to keep that part
quiet. As of now, they’ve no reason to question me about what you
told me about the trip or the beach scene. But if they ask me under
oath, I must tell what I know.”

“I’ll deny that as well. You must have made
up such a crazy story to save your own skin.” He stood and threw
his shoulders back in an attempt to regain his dignity.

“Don’t say absolutely no. At the very least,
discuss this with a trusted attorney.”

He opened the office door and motioned for
her to leave. “I’ll follow you out.” They walked quietly through
the house. He started talking again when they were outside. “I’d
never be able to explain it all. The hitchhiking, the motel stop,
the bikini. Makes me sound obsessive.”

“Some might jump to that conclusion.”

“It was a mistake to bare my soul to you. My
emotions overcame me. Although I do feel relieved after unloading
all this. After seeing the police report, this seems to be an
unimportant case for them. I’m waiting. Maybe it won’t play out the
way you say. I’m not trading a possible crisis for a certain
one.”

“You’re absolutely making the muddled choice
once again.”

When they got to her car he said, “I realize
she was manipulating me to some extent.”

“To some extent? Freddy, she was molding your
libido in her hands like soft clay.”

“There you see? Being a woman, you understand
what was going on in her mind. In many ways, she kept telling me
the rules. I didn’t want to understand the rules because that would
have left me hopeless. I kept living on that hope.”

“And that hope pushed you beyond reality.”
She needed to maintain his cooperation. Possibly, he would change
his mind and come forward. “There are times when a woman must play
keep-away regardless of who the man is or whether she likes
him.”

To Sandy’s way of thinking, what he’d
described as mere infatuation easily rose to the level of a
fanatical obsession. And he still didn’t seem to realize it was
fateful. With such intense passion, perhaps it was inevitable that
something dramatic would result. Nothing good could have come from
it.

“To me she’ll always be a beautiful puzzle
that I failed to solve.”

“You fell in love with her.”

“Pretty much.”

While driving back to Park Beach, Sandy
continued to digest the fascinating Kidde versus Betty Jo
adventure. She now knew more about what had happened last November
leading up to the beach scene than any other person. More even than
Kidde. She was the only one who had access to the official facts
from the police investigation, the schizoid thinking of Toby, and
now the emotional perspective of Congressman Kidde. He would never
again share the sensual details of his fantasy journey with anyone.
She was certain of that.